1. What actionable steps can organizations take to foster inclusive leadership? How is your organization implementing these steps?

Inclusion means something different to everyone, so the first step for companies and leaders is understanding their people and their needs. This means conducting regular surveys with employees, and regularly reviewing systems, processes and cultural norms to consider where we could or should make changes or improvements to be more inclusive.

At Brilliant Ink, we practice what we preach when it comes to fostering inclusive leadership, weaving DEI principles into our counsel to clients and our own business operations. In recent years, we've implemented more equitable recruiting, screening, and hiring practices, including everything from job descriptions and interview questions to our candidate communication and everything in between. 

Ongoing learning opportunities can also help organizations continuously expand awareness and challenge biases. A couple of years ago, we launched our DEI Trust program. This initiative is driven by our employees, who plan learning opportunities covering a range of DEI topics. These sessions are sometimes led by our team members and other times by external experts. The goal is to help us work better together and be stronger advisors to our clients by keeping DEI top of mind in our daily interactions and operations.

Lastly, inclusive leadership must happen at all levels of an organization. At Brilliant Ink, that means investing in inclusive leadership coaching for all our people managers, which is critical to creating a culture of openness and respect.

2. In your experience, how does mentorship contribute to cultivating inclusive leaders in our industry? Who has mentored you in your journey?

Mentorship plays a crucial role in cultivating inclusive leaders in our industry. Throughout my journey, I've been fortunate to have mentors who have guided and supported me, none more than Dorianne St. Fleur. Her wisdom and encouragement has been instrumental in my professional development. She has shown me the importance of empathy, active listening, and the power of diverse teams. 

In my experience, mentoring individuals from diverse backgrounds and levels of experience also provides as much development opportunity for the mentor as it does for the mentee. Mentoring is a two-way street! I mentor a lot of folks earlier in their career, and they have taught me a ton about being a more inclusive leader (shout-out to Chessa Beebe among many others!). This reciprocal learning process is invaluable in fostering a culture of inclusivity and continuous growth. It challenges me to constantly strive to be a more inclusive leader.

3. What advice would you offer to emerging leaders on the importance of inclusive leadership? What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?

Inclusive leadership is only going to become more and more critical in the future, especially as new generations with higher expectations enter the workforce. My advice to emerging leaders is to embrace this shift wholeheartedly. Inclusive leadership isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must-have for any leader who wants to stay relevant and effective.

My advice: Actively seek out and include voices that are different from your own. Take the time to understand the experiences and challenges of those around you. Active listening and genuine empathy can go a long way in building trust and creating a supportive workplace culture. This not only enriches your team's work but also fosters a more inclusive and dynamic environment.

One thing I wish I’d known earlier in my career is that inclusive leadership requires SLOWING DOWN to consider all perspectives. Leaders don’t always realize when their decisions are dis-inclusive, but by staying organized and planning ahead, they create space for thoughtful feedback and ensure everyone feels included. For example, providing advance notice for a big presentation allows employees who need extra preparation time to feel confident and contribute effectively. Small adjustments like this demonstrate that leadership values everyone’s contributions and creates a culture of support and inclusivity.

Finally, remember that inclusive leadership is a journey, not a destination. It's about continuous learning and growth. Be open to feedback, challenge your own assumptions, and always strive to do better. The more you invest in becoming an inclusive leader, the more you'll see the positive impact on your team and your organization.

1. What actionable steps can organizations take to foster inclusive leadership?

Organizations need to remove barriers for entry. Too many public relations firms require students to intern before getting a full-time job offer. I can understand if someone is not a PR major and doesn’t have any previous internship experience. But for my students who are PR majors and have often done three to four internships before graduating, why make them intern first? As a first-generation college student and Pell recipient with student loans, the only way for me to stay in the communications industry was because I was hired as an assistant account executive right out of college. Interning after college was not an option for me, and it’s not for many diverse students and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. PR firms need to stop saying they don’t have a pipeline for diverse talent. Open the channels and create the infrastructure in your financial model so that you can offer full-time positions to college graduates. And then see how your diversity pipeline expands. This is what inclusive leadership is.

2. What success story have you witnessed that highlights the impact of inclusive leadership?

As a person of color who has been in the profession for 30 years, first as a practitioner and now as a professor, I have been frustrated by the slow pace of diversity in the industry. For this reason, I founded SOC3, an on-campus integrated communications agency at American University’s School of Communication. One of SOC3’s goals is to help diversify the communications industry. Every cohort since our founding two years ago has been more than 50 percent diverse. Thanks to a founding gift from Michael Kempner, CEO of MWW, cohort members get course credit and a $1,000 stipend and have worked for a variety of clients including The Home Depot, ALDI, Expedia and the League of Women Voters DC. Students of color and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly grateful for the experience - often times their work in SOC3 is their first experience in the communications industry, and it has led to internships and jobs. The establishment of SOC3 would not have been possible without Michael Kempner’s gift. As an industry leader, Michael recognizes the importance of diversity in the profession, and his gift is already making an impact on the almost 100 students who have been part of the agency thus far. I know when I am looking at the diversity in my classroom today, I am looking at the future leaders of tomorrow. 

3. In your experience, how does mentorship contribute to cultivating inclusive leaders in our industry?

What I wouldn’t give to be 22 years old again and have someone like Pat Ford in my life! I only met Pat five years ago but in one of our first conversations he told me if I had stayed on as a practitioner instead of joining academia, I would be a CEO. I almost cried when he said this because when I first joined the PR industry, I was fighting to stay in. The pay was low, I had student loans and I was one of the few (sometimes only) person of color at the agencies I worked at. As I climbed the ladder to more senior positions, I looked around the room and saw an environment that did not feel inclusive. It was one of the reasons I left the profession and turned to academia. But now in retrospect, I recognize how important inclusive mentorship would have been for me. It’s one of the reasons that I tell each SOC3 cohort in the beginning of the semester that I don’t just want them to join the communications industry, I want them to lead it. I think that is a powerful affirmation to give to young people, and it’s something I wish I had when I first joined the profession.

1. In your experience, how does mentorship contribute to cultivating inclusive leaders in our industry? (Who has mentored you in your journey?)

Mentorship is key to cultivating inclusive leaders. If someone “sees” you, believes in you, and extends themself personally and professionally to advocate for you, this is an invaluable gift to a mentee. People have done that for me and, in turn, I have extended myself to talented, nextgen leaders. This is probably the most important work I do as an established leader. 

Moreover, I believe it is incumbent upon senior leaders to be actively involved in identifying, developing and promoting diverse, emerging leaders, who may have more need of mentorship and sponsorship than non-people of color with privilege.

I have been fortunate to have such ‘mentorship’ and, even more powerful, ‘sponsorship,’ by many people, including the late Gregg W. Perry, former VP Public Affairs of Alexander & Baldwin and regarded as the “Dean of PR” in Hawaii, Patrick Ford, former Vice Chair of Burson Marstellar (now BURSON), and multicultural marketing legend, Bill Imada, Chief Connectivity Officer of IWGroup.

In turn, I have extended myself in an ongoing way to support diverse, emerging leaders. It is truly a pleasure and an honor to nurture future leaders who, importantly, will reflect the majority-minority professionals they will lead.”

2. What advice would you offer to emerging leaders on the importance of inclusive leadership? (What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?)

I tell emerging leaders that the most important development task they can undertake is to discover and have the courage to actively live their life and leadership purpose. This will focus and drive them to accomplish what matters most in their one very brief and precious life.  And, by life purpose, I mean, how they will leverage their talent, expertise and passion in service of other people and our planet.

Moreover, I share with emerging leaders that the most innovative, high-performing teams reflect diversity in as many ways as possible, including gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, age, disability differences, personality, among others.

1. How do you define inclusive leadership in the context of your work?

Based on my 45 years in corporate and agency life, I started teaching leadership and DEI courses at DePaul several years ago. We study every aspect of inclusive leadership — and students are the first to define inclusivity as extending beyond race and age. It requires giving thoughtful consideration to the ideas of everyone in the organization and then finding creative ways to engage them in formulating and achieving organizational goals.

2. Can you share a specific moment when inclusive leadership made a difference in your team? (Think of someone who exemplifies this in their work!)

During my corporate career, I worked for five CEOs. While all of them appreciated the role for communications, one -- Arthur Martinez — adamantly felt communicators could significantly help achieve corporate objectives. The ah-ha moment that changed my career came after a senior staff meeting one day when Arthur called me aside and told me I needed to speak up more at management meetings. Citing effective one-on-one communication and my broader view of the entire organization and outside world, Arthur said PR must play a bigger role in the company's success. I took this as a green flag to not only empower me, but also my team. We quickly proceeded to add communications managers to every business unit. Soon, they became major contributors to those businesses, and most were added to the management teams of each business unit. And, indeed, great things were accomplished — until Arthur left the company, proving the adage that support for great corporate communications must be driven, supported and demanded by the CEO.